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Summer 2010

Features

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY SUBARU!For the third time, Outside Bozeman and southwest Montana drivers have teamed up to celebrate that most quintessential Montana vehicle, the mighty and stalwart Subaru. This renowned Asian auto has few rivals around Bozeman, and its proud pilots and passengers once again... Details

Over the past several years, my friend Ted Border and I attempted to climb all of the named peaks in the Hyalite range. After our successful ascent of Fridley Peak in July of 2005, we felt like we had accomplished our goal. We soon discovered, however, that our enjoyable mission was far from over.... Details

My Suby TaleAda MontagueSo I was 20 when I came to Montana for the first time. My best friend and I got jobs as “cabin girls” at a ranch in the Crazies. I started seeing a boy from town and he lent me his Suby so I could drive down the long bumpy road and see him on my days off. I remember there... Details

The list of adjectives streaming through my mind was certainly more George Carlin than Hallmark as I hugged bare dirt and scree in the fetal position and dime-sized hail wailed my noggin at 10,000 feet. I had just clamored up a slope that marmots feared to tread, bike over my shoulder, lungs sucker... Details

High on the Tibetan Plateau, the Yangtze River sits at an elevation of 12,000–14,000 feet; surrounding peaks tower at over 18,000 feet. Nomads still roam the region, and remote monasteries are commonplace. The location is so far off the grid that a joint study by the World Bank and the European... Details

Departments

Like many political issues, the recent reduction in mountain-bike access to the core of the Hyalite–Porcupine–Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area (WSA) has received both lavish praise and intense criticism. The Forest Service’s contentious decision—a response to U.S. District Court Judge Donald... Details

Yeah, we've all made fun of it. We call it "Butt" or "The Pit" or "that place I go to get drunk on St. Patrick's Day." But Butte can't be all that bad, right? It was chosen over all other Montana towns for the National Folk Festival, after all. With it being part of our state and being so close, we... Details

“I can quit whenever I want.” And sometimes I do. But coffee is a fickle mistress, and one whiff of a good brew sends me clamoring for a fix. I’ve sampled beans from Norway to Antarctica, and I have a penchant for a certain dark brew out of San Francisco. Sadly, with the cost of beans and shipping... Details

Four people. One pig. A ring. A barrel. It sounds like the prelude to a hell of a barbecue, but really it's the typical stage for a good pig-wrestling match, where the goal is to wrestle a 70ish-pound porker into a barrel butt-first within 30 seconds. The Park County Fair is a great place to watch... Details

Preparation and outdoor skills are crucial to survival in Montana's high country, and even a single day in the hills necessitates proper gear. Rather than discuss the “10 Essentials,” let’s instead debunk the concept of what is really needed for day in the hills.Blow off the BivyAlpinists say that... Details

I am your local bicycle mechanic: fueled by caffeine, lovingly grumpy, adorably retro, and acceptably surly. I live and breathe the pedal-powered machines, treating each with the respect that a machine of freedom deserves. But I've decided that there are some things you need to know about me, lest... Details

When it comes to sexiness, I want to be the Frank’s Red Hot on my boyfriend’s egg-white omelet. Although this is a very intuitive goal, achieving it is not quite so natural for me. All too often, I find myself being more of a run-of-the-mill sort of condiment, like salt. For example, sometimes I'll... Details

The text message blinked as I sent it: “drinking 40s on the lawn.” A decade ago, it would have sounded logical; now it just seemed like we were trying too hard. Yet there I sat. I might have been 20-something again, crossed-legged on a Bozeman lawn with my would-be hipster girlfriends and 40 ounces... Details

If Bozeman isn't the center of the fly-fishing universe, its at least in the right galaxy. Which is why the first annual Ice-Out Guide Event brought over 200 Simms-endorsed guides from as far as Florida, New York, and Alaska right here to the Gallatin Valley for one memorable weekend this past... Details

It was enough that we pledged to show her dead body to her yellow lab, Shamus. Now we were asked to spread her ashes atop “Lady B.” It’s what lifelong friends must do. Dee Ann outlived Shamus, and she will most likely outlive us all. She’s a member of the Core Four: a group of feisty women who, in... Details

There is the rest of the world's Manhattan—the one in New York—and then there's our Manhattan. Theirs has the Upper West Side; ours is the Upper West Side. Theirs is near the Bronx, and ours is near the broncs. For them, "subway in August" means sweating through a suit for 30 minutes in urine-... Details

Get out your Superman cape and your magic carpet, because road construction on I-90 is cutting off access to the Story Mill Spur Trail until November 5, 2010. The trail, running between the train tracks on L Street and the Stockyard Café, is the only off-road connection between town and the East... Details

With its “Biggest Skiing in America,” Big Sky Resort draws both locals and visitors to its incredible terrain every winter, but it’s always been somewhat sleepy in the summertime. Not anymore. After the tremendous popularity of the zipline, which was installed last year, Big Sky decided to roll out... Details

Nobody really wants to spend a beautiful July afternoon staring at their own sweaty reflection in a fingerprint-smudged weight-room mirror. Yeah, we get that. But if you’re willing to make the sacrifice, your time inside will pay off big when you get back outside. No matter what your sport of... Details

If you’ve biked in Bozeman at all, you’ve definitely experienced a few dicey moments between you and a car, where the car almost came out the winner. However, on February 22, the City Commission passed Resolution No. 4244, which implements a “Complete Streets” policy at the encouragement of the... Details

Fishing may be all the recreational rage in Ennis, and for good reason; but there’s plenty of outdoor fun for the non-angler as well. HikingSoutheast of Ennis, standing proudly amidst the Madison Range, is the mighty Sphinx Mountain. “The Sphinx,” as it’s called, is an excellent day-hike if you’re... Details

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These are the core concepts of environmental awareness. But other, less intuitive concepts such as the prevention of waste, known as precycling, can be equally important. In lean times, it is often difficult to spot the high cost of something when you're hunting almost... Details

This early in the day, the road is home only to the deer, the antelope, and me. In the dim, dewy calm, they graze along the cutbanks and sandbars of the Yellowstone River under the attentive eyes of red-tailed hawks perched on fenceposts along the road. As my truck lumbers by, they raise their... Details

If you’ve got a hankering to make your own outdoor clothing, here’s one place to start: Montana Outdoor Fabric on in downtown Bozeman. Hiding inside this little white house across from Willson School are stacks upon stacks of fabric, of every imaginable kind and color. Cordura, Polartec, Windbloc,... Details

Everyone's talking about it, and we've all noticed the large portions of our lush green hillsides blotted with unsightly stands of dry, reddish-brown trees. Thanks to the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and the recent trend of warmer-than-normal winters, these stands of dead trees,... Details

Summer on the Yellowstone River offers the best dry fly fishing of the year. Although the trout key on dozens of different insects, the Salmon Fly, Grasshopper, and Evening Caddis are three of my favorite.This spring, the Yellowstone River drainage only had a snow pack around 75% of average. For... Details

May 21 is Bike to Work day in the United States, but for more and more Americans, a two-wheeled commute is a year-round proposition. According to the League of American Bicyclists and the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people who bike to work rose 43% between 2000 and 2008. In Montana, the... Details

Trying to pick the best places to run near Bozeman is a little like trying to decide between ice cream and candy—they're all so good! So when the editors asked me which five I thought were the best, I had some thinking to do. Long or short? Hilly or flat? After years of running, it came down to... Details

This summer, Bozeman-based filmmakers Deia Schlosberg and Gregg Treinish plan on exploring wildlife migration between two unique ecological “gems”: the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Over the course of six weeks, they plan on traversing nearly 400... Details

Bozeman summers are often a blur of hot, languid days fishing, floating, hiking, and biking in the long-awaited sunshine. But our warmer months also brim with other outdoor activities—music shows, theatrical performances, gallery walks, festivals, farmers’ markets, and more—that are every bit as... Details

With Yellowstone Park splendor, loads of wildlife, recreational fun, and a spectacular sunset practically guaranteed, few towns hold more summer fun than Gardiner. Here’s what to do and when.RodeosJune 18-19 kicks off cowboy season in Gardiner, with the town’s annual NRA rodeo. Hosted by the Upper... Details

“So, everyone else out to lunch?” I naively ask as Andy Tuller, owner of Outa Ware Outdoor Clothing Company, leads me through a tour of his facilities, showing off the industrial sewing machines, miles of fabric, and well-stocked showroom. “I’m it,” he says, laughing. “I do absolutely everything... Details

Snakes and their bites are the subject of much fear and trepidation. In Montana, over the last eight years, only 45 people have been bitten and no one has died. Inquisitive pets, however, are at greater risk. For dogs and their humans, the good news is that Montana is home to only one venomous... Details

“Dude, I got nasty Elvis Leg after that crimpy crux, just before I hit the crack and landed a few bomber jams!” Whaaaat? If listening to climbers spew about their adventures sounds like gibberish, never fear. It is jibberish. But once you read the following guide, you may be able to decipher at... Details

The days are long, the grass is green, and just like everyone else, you're probably trying to make time in your summer schedule for some actual fun. One of the best places in the state to find that elusive fun is Ennis and the surrounding area. Sure, Ennis is famous for fishing on the legendary... Details

Anything can happen in the Montana backcountry. When it does, homeopathic remedies can be welcome additions to the first aid kit: they're light, inexpensive, and effective when correctly administered. As a bonus, you can buy most of the components at health-food stores.Blisters and CutsCalendula... Details

After a long, cold winter, when the sunshine finally outpaces the rain and snow, the people of Bozeman embrace the summer season en masse. Shirtless runners, grandmas in flip-flops, and barefoot kids spring up like wildflowers in an alpine meadow. The sun is here and we need to savor these precious... Details

On the way to your favorite local crag, do you ever stop to think how that manicured access trail came to be? Or who has granted you access to the land you happily trod over to reach the rock? Well, if you’ve climbed around Bozeman in the last decade, odds are that a certain local group has helped... Details

The UV Chewy Crayfish pattern is a great year-round pattern on the Yellowstone and Madison rivers as well as our local lakes. Its lifelike movement, silhouette, and softness draw many species of fish—they like to chew on it for an extra second or two, allowing time to set the hook. This is one of... Details

From hiking to swimming to flushing game birds, Bozeman-area dogs are an active, energetic bunch. But no matter how fit and healthy they may be, all dogs eventually experience the effects of trauma and aging. These health problems can lead to pain, swelling of the joints, and a decreased desire or... Details

We seem to do it every time: naively assume a measly Clif Bar will provide enough energy for a long day of climbing, hiking, etc. But by the time 10:30 rolls around, we're already scouring our packs for anything edible. Determined not to let history repeat itself, we did a little culinary recon for... Details

On May 21, outdoor gear goliath Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) officially opened its doors at Stone Ridge Square on North 19th, boasting over 25,000 square feet of top outdoor brands, a bike shop, and a gear-rental department. This marks yet another outlet for Bozeman’s famously gear-hungry... Details

Descending from a brisk, after-work M hike, I clambered up a rock outcropping to take in the view. After three days of intermittent rain, the sky finally cleared - the air was clean and crisp, the fields and foothills a bright green, and the setting sun cast long shadows across the valley, giving... Details

Gear Reviews

From swimming alongside the boat all day to ten-mile trail runs in the August heat, summer fun can take its toll on a Montana pooch. Here are a few products we’ve found to help take care of your four-legged friend and get the job done right. –Katie BarbaWhen your pooch gets nasty after rolling in... Details

Food is the all-important consideration when car-camping—and the Primus Atle BBQ Stove facilitates some fine lakeside dining. Lightweight, durable, and easy to set up, this camper’s mini-kitchen has a standard burner for boiling and a grill for steaks and burgers. Both sides cook fast and evenly,... Details

When the river’s too muddy to fish or your legs need rest after summiting the Sphinx, a great low-impact option around Ennis is Madison Meadows Golf Course. This nine-hole gem is inexpensive, challenging, and scenic, making it a nice morning or afternoon addition to your laid-back Ennis agenda.If... Details

Lilypond is a new company specializing in stylish, sporty women’s bags, luggage, and accessories, including the sharp-looking Evening Star Backpack. This backpack has a lot of nooks & crannies to organize all your stuff for a hike in the mountains, trip to the gym, or a day of college classes.... Details

When it’s time to throw your own backyard bash, remember that convenience is a key ingredient for success. From park to back lawn, portable tables and shelters can make the difference between an uncomfortable afternoon and a carefree day outdoors. Here are a couple items from Eureka that we like.... Details

The Metolius Iron Hand Glove is now a permanent addition to my climbing rack. The thick leather palm keeps your hands ropeburn- and dirt-free, while the 3/4-finger length provides critical dexterity when threading the GriGri or cracking open the requisite belay brew. Make sure to size them in-store... Details

The Leather Flip is the new “I’ve had a hard day, let’s relax” sandal. Wear them with skirts, wear them with shorts. Wear them on a plane. You get the idea. They have a BioCentric foot bed that supports the arch, so you never feel like you’re holding the sandal on with your toes. Mine got wet, and... Details

The performance-oriented Sedona Crew Socks by Goodhew have a heavenly lambswool/Alpaca construction that's surprisingly durable, given the super-soft and comfy feel. Spandex throughout the sock and the generous arch support panels also keep feet going on long days. Details such as mesh panels along... Details

If you’re looking for a watch that does just about everything an outdoor enthusiast could want, without costing a fortune, this might be the one. The Tech4o Traileader JET comes equipped with the standard time, date, alarm, chronograph, and timer functions most recreational watches possess, but... Details

I have always sworn by Teva for a summer-sandal—unswayed by the popular Chacos—but I'm tempted by the Merrell Heather Sandals. The air cushion, Lycra neoprene uppers, and QForm soles make them comfortable, durable, light, and great arch supporters. As a bonus, they come in a variety of chic colors... Details

The Sierra Designs Veranda 3 Tent is the perfect crash pad for three weary travelers—or in our case, two people and two dogs. This snazzy three-season shelter is designed for comfort, with two doors, two vestibules, a high ceiling, and a panorama window to enjoy the view. Be advised: At ten pounds... Details

Come hill or high water, your tootsies will appreciate the Merrell Waterpro Tawas, a hybrid river/trail shoe designed for playing in and around the river. Drainage ports allow soggy feet to dry quickly, while the perforated footbed provides a stable fit. Vibram soles grasp both wet and dry terrain... Details

The innovative BOA lacing system on the Vasque Aether Tech trail shoe is like a dial-a-comfort-level disc that you turn until the shoe is properly secured. The shoe’s dual-density inserts are for high-impact trail running, but the overall weightlessness feels comfortable on every level. And they... Details

With the Tarantula, Tecnica’s latest lightweight trail-running shoe, humankind may be one step closer to attaining the grace and agility of a gazelle outrunning a lion—at least that’s how it feels with these rockets on your feet. The exaggerated curvature of the sole is the trademark of the Tecnica... Details

Lightweight hiking boots with unmatched traction and support are not always easy to come by, which is why we love the Men’s Pak Lite Hiking Boot from Golite. Made from two types of extreme featherlight polyurethane and high-quality leather, this boot is both cozy around the foot and supportive in... Details

Book Reviews

John S. Fitzpatrick’s playful book Sherlock Holmes: The Montana Chronicles (Riverbend Publishing, $13) relates the crime-solving adventures during Holmes’ little-known trip to Montana in the late 1800s. Although skeptical at first (I'm a big fan of the standard Holmes & Watson chronicles in... Details

Take a road trip this summer over to central Oregon, pick up Rock Climbing Smith Rock State Park, 2nd Edition (Falcon Guides, $40), and prepare to be blown away. Climbing in Montana will never feel the same again. Alan Watts has poured his soul into this revision of his original Smith Rock Bible to... Details

If you've had the misfortune of getting tangled up with a woman who isn't outdoorsy, then turn to Laura James’ book, The Girl’s Guide to Camping (Skyhorse Publishing, $15). It caters to the elusive anti-camping woman who fears the outdoors. The tents have polka dots and the lanterns are pink in... Details

In wildlife-rich Montana, it’s common to spot a cool raptor flying overhead—but how often can you identify it? Was it a hawk or falcon? Swainson’s or red-tailed? Prairie or peregrine? If you’re tired of never knowing the answer, grab a copy of the new Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Western North... Details

The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing (Skyhorse Publishing, $17) is a must-read for both novices and fly fishing aficionados. The authors Kirk Deeter and Charlie Meyers bring their experiences on the river to life with tips, tactics, and memories. This book is packed with short chapters that cover... Details